JI to wage war on feudal lords: Siraj

LAHORE - Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq said Sunday that masses were facing economic and political terrorism and he had decided to launch struggle against it. “I have decided to wage a war against the ruling feudal lords and capitalists and to take them to task. I appealed the nation to support my party in this struggle,” he said addressing a reception hosted in his honour here at Wahdat Road Cricket Ground.Siraj said he had come to Lahore for consultation with the masses that what to do for future. He said Lahore which was a city of patriots and hosts, was awakened. He said Lahore was a historic city from where Pakistan Movement started. The JI ameer said the time was coming soon when a day of judgment would be set either in Islamabad or at the Minar-e-Pakistan ground in Lahore and the ruling elite would have to be accountable for its corruption and plundering of the public wealth. On the occasion, JI Secretary General Liaquat Baloch, JI Punjab chief Dr Syed Waseem Akhtar, Dr Farid Piracha, Hafiz Salman Butt and JI Lahore chief Mian Maqsood Ahmed also addressed the gathering. The reception was attended by a large number of JI workers, Islami Jamiat Talba activists and women. Addressing the gathering, JI chief said the agents of the British and America had been ruling the country that had been achieved through the sacrifices of the masses. He said he had personally experienced poverty and therefore, was struggling for the restoration of the rights of the poor. Siraj said the party which came to power through the slogan of Roti, Kapra and Makan, was responsible for the break-up of the country. Later, a military dictator deceived the people through the slogan of Pakistan First. He said the PPP and the PML-N had been ruling the country turn by turn and their leaders had plundered billions of rupees. Siraj said the two ruling parties had never thought of bringing each other to book on account of corruption. As a result, the rich were getting richer and the poor, poorer. He said Election Commission of Pakistan did not act upon the Constitution as it avoided the Article 62, 63. As a result of which, there were many people in the assemblies who actually deserved to be in Adyala Jail. Siraj referred to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s statement on return from London that some elements wanted to sabotage talks with the Taliban, and urged the premier to expose these elements who wanted to pit the armed forces against the masses and thus plunge the country into turmoil. The JI chief said that certain elements were trying to give an impression that Pakistan had not come into being in the name of Islam. He asked these people that why Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had resigned from the Congress. He said in about 100 speeches, Quaid-e-Azam had stated that the Quran and the Sunnah would be the Constitution and the law in the new state. He said the mosque occupied the centre place in an Islamic society, and everything revolved around it. The JI ameer said time was not far off when the mosques would be their headquarters, assembly halls, the court and the central bank. He said there were armed terrorists and they should give up this way as there was no ban on preach. He said he wanted to ask the economic and political terrorists to give up exploiting the people. He said there were only two types of people in Pakistan. One is privileged class and the other is depressed class, he said and added that he did not believe in a system based on exploitation. He said he had decided to open the door of assemblies for the depressed class and poor women. He also said that operation against the militants would not be fruitful and the government should act upon its decision of holding talks. He said the time was near when even an alone woman could travel from Karachi to Lahore without any fear. He said he appealed to the masses and especially youth to support him in this struggle.

This news was published in The Nation newspaper. Read complete newspaper of 12-May-2014 here.